Most conventional residential toilets make use of an elevated supply of water in a tank mounted above the toilet bowl. To flush the toilet, the user actuates a lever or button which releases the elevated water into the toilet bowl under the force of gravity. However, such elevated toilet tanks are bulky and unattractive, and are prone to leak risks. Therefore, a need exists for a toilet that flushes without requiring an elevated tank, and which is also suitable for both residential and commercial use.
Additionally, in recent years water conservation has become more important to many people and municipalities. In fact, many jurisdictions have laws limiting the amount of water that can be used per toilet flush. Also in response to the need for water conservation, dual flush toilets have been developed. In a dual flush toilet, there are two user-selectable flush sizes. A small flush is used to dispose of liquid waste. A large flush is used to dispose of solid waste. Preferably, the desired toilet would also be suitable for use with dual flush technologies. Importantly, water conservation includes both changing flush sizes and prevention of leak failures. Therefore, it is also desirable to provide a “flapperless” toilet since toilet flappers are prone to wear out and are also sensitive to harsh chemicals and grey water. As such, the elimination of the flapper valve is very desirable to reduce both the service expense and inconvenience of this messy and time-consuming replacement.